


blush

by garbagedump



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: :'), F/M, Fangirls, Female Reader, I, I hope not, Reader-Insert, angst???, fluff???, humour???, i???, idek what genre this is, im crygin, im gonna regret, oikawa might be sort of ooc, reader - Freeform, save this child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-18
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-05-21 11:25:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6049903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/garbagedump/pseuds/garbagedump
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>ok but hear him out he needs to get a new girlfriend to make everyones lives better tRUST HIM HE KNOWS WHAT HES DOIG N</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. he is an embarrassing child sometimes i think of putting him up for adoption but i would end up taking him back home anyway

**Author's Note:**

> muerte, is me

It was time for Oikawa Tooru to get a(nother) girlfriend.

When he found himself too suffocated with the _ever_ -growing crowd of admirers, when there were _too_ many gifts on his desk that he couldn’t shove away to make enough space for him to write his notes, and _especially_ when Iwa-chan delivered his infamous punches more frequently during practice with how much noise and distraction his fans brought, he knew he had to (briefly) end his bachelor status.

_For the goodness of humanity!_ he would declare to himself heroically (there had to be a mirror present, of course).

If you asked any of his previous partners, each of them would huff and narrate the exact same plotline: Oikawa would sweep them off their feet (figuratively, and sometimes _literally_ ) with pleasant promises of prestige partnership, and they, with their love-stricken hearts bloated with an ocean of adoration they wanted to drown Oikawa in would say yes _yes yes_ and everything would be so much like how they imagined it almost felt as if he read the _same_ shoujo mangas as _theirs_.

But of course, this would—without a doubt—end in about two weeks when reality crumbled upon them and Oikawa turned out not to be as sweet as apple crumble pie. They would realize by then they weren’t number one and he would rather prolong daily volleyball practices instead of escaping cleaning duties to walk home together towards the sunset that would grant the best natural filter for a couple selfie and they really needed to update their social medias with visual evidence so others would know that _yes_ , they were _still_ an item, _thank you very much._

Most of them would have left. Some insisted they could make it through until graduation (which was in actuality not much since Oikawa’s a third year) only to be shot down by The Grand King himself who, with a kind smile, severed their red string with a swift tug none too gently. Basically, it was either them (“You always choose volleyball!”) or him (“I _always_ choose volleyball.”). However, if you asked any of his exes if they would want to get back together with Oikawa, they would all say the same thing.

_(“Hell yeah.”)_

For Oikawa, his view of relationships was unorthodox compared to most people. While being partnered romantically usually meant you are to be devoted to the person, willingly imprisoning yourself in a cell you shared with them, Oikawa thought of relationships as a breather for him.

In the period when he was ‘taken’, crowds surrounding him dwindled down in number to give space as respect for him and the girl he went out with. Girls would hesitate to shower him with homemade baked goods knowing The Bento made by his partner was superior. And since his partner would love to watch him play volleyball and see the genuine joy of becoming one with his beloved sport, of course she would be present during practices. Every other female (except the manager, who still yelled at him occasionally) would be alert of her _Grand Queen_ presence and quiet down a bit, acknowledging that they were the lesser subjects of this kingdom.

(It was really _just_ a gym, though.)

And it wasn’t as if Oikawa mistreated his previous partners. In terms of fulfilling boyfriend duties, he felt like he did a pretty good job. Although he would admit he was not an Absolute BoyfriendTM or anything, he would go out of his way like footing the bills during dates, _and_ bonus points if they got injured in school, as it would give him the chance to dramatically carry them like a princess while imitating a bulldozer for everyone blocking his route to the infirmary to give way. Of course he knew he looked ridiculous, but if his partners enjoyed it (and he could tell by their covered, happy flushed faces peeking through their fingers) then he wouldn’t feel any loss.

Breaking up was inevitable. He always let them go when they finally realized he saw no future with them. He treated them well, yes, but he thought they should know better that he wouldn’t put down volleyball from its pedestal for them to take over the throne. They all seemed like they wanted more and _more_ from him, but nothing could beat his volleyball drive in his pursuit to overthrow Shiratorizawa and now, Karasuno. When some wanted for them to work it out together, he firmly put his foot down and broke it off, so it would be early enough for them to be able to move on from him without too much attachment to begin with.

Oikawa loved attention, he really did, especially from his loyal fans and supporters, which was why he responded to them even during relationships, much to his ex-girlfriends’ dismay. They were especially easy to handle since they didn’t bother him in large groups knowing he was taken. But it had been two months now and Iwa-chan was giving him The Glare again when screams echoed throughout the gym after his serves.

So he took it upon himself to improve the lives of everyone around him!

 

Oikawa stormed into Hanamaki’s class one lunch break, wailing about Iwaizumi’s merciless attempts at damaging his bodily goods when he jokingly uploaded a picture of his best friend sneezing with zero grace on social media. The wing spiker’s half-lidded eyes fluttered open fully as he stared down at his captain’s pants, and Oikawa whined louder that _no, not there Hanamaki_ as he stomped on the floor, pointing at his dishevelled hair. The other male resumed his bored look, at least having the decency not to look disappointed.

As he kept flailing his arms to emphasize how he wasn’t receiving enough love from his own children (last week it was knights. Hanamaki took note of the degradation.), he failed to notice someone cowering behind him trying to escape from their impending doom and as expected, collision happened.

Oikawa didn’t expect for the person to jump high in the air when his arm harmlessly grazed their back. He turned to apologize and inquire if they were in any way related to a certain orange-haired midget only to see the student bowing with their head down and hands on their knees.

“Aaah, what have you done,” Hanamaki drawled lazily, before he realized it was **you** who were now stuttering apologies.

“H-HEY! Get up!! _I’m_ the one who should say sorr—“ Oikawa placed a gentle hand on your shoulder to calm you down, but it only served the opposite when you flew back to the other side of the classroom with a single leap. The captain let out a surprise shout at your abrupt ninja-like display.

“I’m sorry!!” you looked up and Oikawa finally saw your face, but his eyes didn’t meet yours. Or rather, you refused to look at him in the eye as you excused yourself and raced out from the classroom. You were gone literally in a blink of Oikawa’s eyes. Hanamaki treated like it was a normal occurrence as he poked through his juice box with a straw and sipped calmly.

“What just—“A door slammed open.

“THERE YOU ARE!!!”

“IWA-CHAN!”

 Matsukawa approached his friend with a bag of packaged bread between his teeth. He watched as Oikawa made his _grand_ escape while screeching about expensive hair saloon visits and Iwaizumi hot on his heels and fire in his eyes. Popping the plastic out from his mouth into his hands, he turned to Hanamaki.

“?”

“Check your Instagram.”

 

He promptly forgot about your existence (since he prioritized his luscious locks and _FYI_ , they were indeed ruined that day but at least the ‘sum1 get Iwa-chan tissue!!’ photo was still up _with_ 583 likes, okay) and was only reminded a week later when Takeru snatched back the pink hand towel from him.

“ _No_ , this isn’t from a _girl_ , Uncle Tooru, mom washed mine and gave me that,” he rolled his eyes as he patted his face with the fabric, ridding of the sweat accumulated especially on his brows. Oikawa let out a disappointed ‘ _eh_ ~’ while casually checking the time on his phone. He should finish the class early that day if he didn’t want to miss the volleyball match on TV, since no one was home to record it. Distracted, he almost missed his nephew’s snide jab.

“Who _are_ you texting with? I know it’s not your girlfriend, since well, you know, the last one _dumped_ you—“

“I _just_ wanna _know_ what _time_ is it, _Ta~ke~ru_ ,” he whined with obvious exasperation. Why was everyone out to get him??

Speaking of girlfriends (or lack thereof), Oikawa wondered why the exact shade of Takeru’s pink hand towel stood out to him, which caused him to steal it from Takeru at the first place for inspection. Was it because of his previous partner’s bento wrapper? No, he was certain her cloth was bunny patterned. He thought of another ex-partner ( _Natsumi_ , he thought) and shook the idea off because her pink contacts were a tad darker.

Only later in the evening when he yelled at one of the kids who dashed off without putting back the volleyball in its proper place did it click to him.

“ _Hey~_ don’t just run off like that!! …Geez, little rascal, escaping so fast like—“ he paused.

…The girl from Hanamaki’s class the other day _also_ ran so fast, and he was reminded of the split-second sight he saw and— _oh my God._

Unable to filter his words beforehand, he exclaimed loudly,

“!!! The _pink_ towel!!! It matches her _panties!!”_

Mothers within the area picking up their children dropped their smiles and stared at the brunette, their faces obviously appalled. They covered innocent ears and quickly shuffled away from the supposed volleyball _coach._

Oikawa blinked and looked around at the retreating figures.

“Eh? What’s going on? Was it something I sai— ** _ack!!!_** ”

 From a distance, Takeru snorted.

“He truly is an idiot.”


	2. if he dyes his hair blonde i swear hes adrien agreste from miraculous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you finally get screen time!!!!!!!!!! i think

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just according to keikaku, he still believed

 

Two weeks passed and Hanamaki was seeing more and more of Oikawa in his class. He would have been flattered if it was because he's the captain's favourite ~~knight~~ child, but it was obvious where his attention was directed at each time.

He sort of pitied you for being scrutinized under The Grand King's magnifying glass. Every visit of his would leave you in a blushing mess with every (not really) subtle touch of his wandering hands and bumping shoulders and the usual arm around shoulders. You would squeak helplessly and try to escape from his flirty clutches and by the time that happened, lunch break was over and Oikawa would return to his class with a final wink and you sighing in relief while holding your stomach.

(Hanamaki now bought an extra packaged bread as consolation. You were very grateful. At least someone appreciated his existence, he noted.)

The other third years weren't blind to Oikawa's sudden advancements to some random girl in Hanamaki's class. Matsukawa just shrugged it off, aware of his periodical need to ~~mate~~ date. Iwaizumi reprimanded him for harassing a student, to which Oikawa would spin away from his fists and retort cheekily that you liked him, and it's only just a matter of time before you finally gave in and date him _and everyone would be happy, Iwa-chan!_

(The ace intended to argue more, but the sight of your red face when Oikawa smugly wrapped his arms around you made him retreat, albeit menacingly, with the _I'm-watching-you_ hand gestures.)

For Oikawa, he was having fun being the hunter for once. He was so used to just ask very willing girls out or accept their confessions so he never really experienced the thrill of getting a ~~senpai~~ girl to notice him.

When Hanamaki asked him why he chose you specifically, of course he would never disclose how you stood out because he remembered your panties. He had enough of cautious mum glances from that day.

But Oikawa was only looking for a girl to fool around with briefly, and he observed how pink you get when he was there, so why should he spend the trouble looking for another when there's already someone who's into him?

So he graced you with his Special Treatment and always sought you out during breaks or after school's over before practice ("Makki~ let's go to practi--oh!! You're still here? _Lucky_ ~★"). Hanamaki saw through his bullshit right off the bat (because Oikawa never picked him up for _anything_ , and he always went with Matsukawa) and before the brunette could even invite you to practice (didn't he have any other cards to play?) Hanamaki quickly told you to get home safely before plucking Oikawa off and dragging him away from a nervous you.

Oikawa sent so many signals he wondered if you missed a turn, because although you responded to his flirty jabs meekly but positively, they were never enough to get you to date him. He wasn't sure if you were deflecting his suggestions for (more than) friendly outings on purpose because you were a bundle of nerves 85% of the time (of course, who wouldn't be in his grand presence) ((he could imagine his volleyball knights raising their hands with deadpanned faces)) and while it was rather endearing to see you trying your best not to make conversations with him one-sided, he really needed an answer. While he could just move on to another girl, he felt like he has invested too much time and energy for you not to date you in the end.

( _Briefly_ , he reminded himself.)

Also, it sort of worked in his favour when rumours spread around how you had Oikawa wrapped around your little finger with how _devoted_ he was to you despite being unofficial _(for now!!_ ). Since he was busy targeting you some of his fangirls backed off and there were even people cheering him on. And while he had zero romantic feelings for you, this game was becoming more fun for him and he found himself looking for new ways to make you flustered.

In short, he had no qualms with how things were. As long as his goal was fulfilled.

_Make. Everyone. Happy!!!_

He wasn't happy.

" _Makki_ ," he sung sweetly, "where is my future bride~?" His front bangs shadowed over his eyes.

Hanamaki made a face. _Bride?_

"Hell if I know. Though... I saw a group of girls hauling her away just now."

Oikawa drew back, his darkened face turning blank.

"Girls...? _Wait_ , don't tell me...!"

He stormed out, leaving a confused Hanamaki behind and checking secluded areas around the school, hoping his dreadful premonition wasn't true. When he saw your face among a crowd of girls behind the gym he immediately thought the worst.

But before he could intervene, one of the girls (a very familiar one, he realized belatedly) noticed him rushing and quickly alerted the others. They whispered vehemently among themselves for a second before shuffling away to reveal you in the middle, looking down and nervously wringing your hands together.

"O-Oikawa-sama...!" They greeted him with uncertain smiles, but happy nonetheless to see him. He didn't return the favour.

"What's going on here?" He frowned, and they nudged each other hurriedly.

"Nothing!! _Uh_..." one of them laughed nervously, "w-we're just talking! _Right_ , ladies?" The rest nodded, hoping to appease him. He was not amused.

He went through this scene so many times in the past with his previous partners, did they honestly think he was foolish enough to believe their obvious pretence?

Oikawa knew where he could get his answer. He called out your name, to which you visibly tensed.

"Are they telling the truth? Were you... just _talking_?"

You refused to meet his eyes like the first time he met you. He could tell from your body language how reluctant you were to answer and judging your circumstance, you had every right to. The girls surrounding you cautiously watched you, like they're waiting for you to pick the wrong answer for them to activate the trap door. You ended up nodding anyway, stepping closer to him.

"I-It's nothing. Really. Let's go back."

How was he supposed to believe such weak, soft-spoken words?

The male lead you away with a hand on your back--your face reddened--and shot the group of (his fan)girls one last look ( _no_ , he wasn't glaring, he had _standards_ ). Everyone got his message.

_Lay off._

They didn't get it(??).

He saw you again, with different girls, but same solidarity. How careless of them, he thought, as they gathered with you in the hallways, open to all prying eyes, especially _his_.

This time he caught your eye, and your small voice hitched before your hands waved around, ushering the girls away. When he reached you they were already gone, and you gave a shaky smile as a greeting.

He was not stupid.

 

One full month passed since the first meeting and he was getting frustrated. Was he really dumb enough to think everything would proceed smoothly and he would get the girl based on the first two weeks he spent in your company?

Today, however, things were looking up for him when he saw you waiting for him outside of his class when he was just about to go to yours. Your trembling hands held two clothed bento boxes as you gave a hard, determined stare at the floor. Brightening at this sight, he greeted you cheerily with a hand on your shoulder and he could almost feel the goosebumps raising under your uniform.

“O-Oikawa-san! Um…” you thrust the boxes right under his face with your eyes shut tight, “…I made you…lunch? U-um—is it alright if we eat lunch together?” you asked with a heavy blush.

He almost leapt at you for your brave gesture, like a proud mom.

Sitting on the bench in the school courtyard, he graciously ate your prepared meal for him and he still felt like crying tears of joy after all the times he failed to catch you in the past two weeks. Beside him, you quietly picked on your rice while throwing nervous glances to your neighbour.

“…How is it?”

“Hm?” He realized you were asking about the bento. Mulling over it, because he tasted so many homemade bentos carefully made for him it was hard to distinguish their individual flavour, he answered honestly with a toothy grin.

 _It’s not bad_ , _so…_ “It’s good!”

Your face lighted up at this, with a wide smile, and Oikawa thought that this was the first time he saw you smile without a trace of uncertainty. He internally cheered. _Progress!_

“I’m glad… I asked around, to make sure I got all your favourites in there.”

He blinked and looked down and realized you were right.

“Wow, you totally got them right!! That’s amazing~” He placed the tip of his chopsticks on his pouting lips and cocked his head. “Who did you ask?”

You visibly tensed, all signs of relief instantly leaving your body, and Oikawa mentally cringed for making you withdraw again.

“A-ah, um, Ha—Hanamaki-kun? And um, a few others… it’s not really important…”

He _recognized_ this tone. He was reminded of several occasions when you tried to convince him his fangirls weren’t harassing you and while he gave an empty ‘that’s good’ smile, he never bought it. You were obviously hiding things from him, and he let it slide because he didn’t want to make you uncomfortable, but why were you trying to hide a bunch of people you asked for advi—

He put two and two together.

“…Did you ask my fanclub? And they bothered you for it?”

You didn’t reply fast enough. He put down your bento and rose up with a frown, fully intending to have a _chat_ with some people. You panicked and grabbed his wrist with both hands, halting him back. Two sets of eyes widened at this bold move. Oikawa stared down at where your skin was linked to his, then to your already red face. You could almost feel steam radiating off you because both of you noted it was _you_ who initiated physical contact with him. Instead of pulling away out of embarrassment, your grip grew tighter as you tugged him back with a small voice.

“… _Please_. It’s nothing.”

Oikawa gave you a long look before sighing, dropping back to his seat. He didn’t comment when you still didn’t let go. He overlapped your hands with his own free one. Suddenly, he didn’t look like a popular school idol trying to win over a girl with sweet smiles. He seemed more like a plain, concerned boy with a tired face speaking to his friend.

“You know you can tell me anything right?”

You nodded quietly.

 

Two days later he saw you in practice. The cheering from his fangirls were manageable now, but he was not completely glad because you were in the middle of it. He saw you looking cautious, surrounded by the happy, smiling girls and he wondered if you were coerced to come along. He sent the crowd a dazzling smile, a wink and a finger gun as always and the girls replied happily; the gestures were meant for you personally, but they didn’t have to know that.

As predicted, a volleyball whacked him in the head.

“Oi! Focus on the game, idiot!”

“Maa~ keep your sadistic side in the bedroom, Iwa-chan!!”

“WHAT WAS THAT COME HERE YOU”

After practice, you rushed towards the captain and fretted over two fresh bruises on his arms, courtesy of his ace. He laughed giddily at your worried, waving hands, revelling in the attention you were giving him.

“I’m fine, I’m fine~” he pulled at your hand. “Now that you’re here, of course~”

You managed to tame your blush this time, shielding your visage with the back of your free hand. Oikawa found it absolutely adorable.

He was surprised when you didn’t retract your hand from his warm grasp. You were once so fidgety and careful around him it made him genuinely happy you were growing comfortable with him. So he threw his other hand around your shoulder and pulled you in, ignoring envious and cooing (and rolling) eyes of everyone else. You almost shrieked, and he laughed.

“Let’s go home together today!!”

“O—Okay…”

 

It was like he found the answer to life.

( _No_ , it’s not volleyball. Only an idiot ~~[it’s Kageyama]~~ would think that.)

 _It’s going to be a good day_ , he decided as he skipped to your class. With a big smile, he slid the door open and called out your name. People turned and stared, but it never deterred him. You were talking to a fellow classmate and she tapped your shoulder, alerting you and you too, turned to see him beaming at you.

“Oika—“

“I need to talk to you!” he declared from across the room. “But not here, let’s go somewhere more… _private_.”

Whispers exploded.

_“No way, do you think…”_

_“It’s a love confession!!”_

_“Oh my god, I gotta tell—“_

_“About time, I’m getting tired of him coming here everyday…”_

“W-W—What?” you stepped back, a fist on your bottom lip. Oikawa didn’t notice.

“Let’s not waste time!” he took large steps, took hold of your hand and took off, successfully kidnapping you. Everyone else just stared at where you two were at until Hanamaki disrupted the silence when he entered the class, a juice box in hand.

“…What happened?”

Someone replied Oikawa was going to confess to you. He almost dropped his drink.

“What.”

 

So he wasn’t a hundred percent sure of his feelings for you, since he started this chase with no romantic intent. One would assume his life really was a shoujo manga, in which he gradually fell for the lovable heroine after going through trials and tribulations (there wasn’t much, to be honest) and the comic would end with them smooching with rose petals drifting in the wind out of nowhere. Except their assumption would be wrong.

Oikawa wasn’t sure if he was comfortable enough with the idea of kissing you, and no, it wasn’t because he found you repulsive (quite the opposite, really) but you were slowly becoming someone he treasured as a friend first and foremost (hilariously ironic since he was going to confess). You couldn’t be another girl he would drop after two weeks and he sincerely liked having you around. To personally see you grow out of your blushing nest and respond to his touches (woah there) thrilled him and he wished to explore further with you.

It’s time to grant his wish, then.

The two of you stood in the same courtyard as the other day, your hands in his. You were looking everywhere but him, and Oikawa could only conclude you were nervous.

He knew things were going to work out. He only lasted for weeks with his previous partners but it had been more than a month with you. He was no longer crowded constantly by his fans and he had space to write on his desk and he could fit his shoes in his locker without overflowing letters and Iwaizumi kicked him less now.

(The last one was a lie.)

He found his life easier to manage as a student and volleyball captain and he could actually put in a time slot for himself. He chose to put you there as well, because thanks to you he could breathe easier.

And while he didn’t completely know if you were girlfriend material, you definitely meant something to him and since you already liked him, why not make it official? You would be happy (because um, who wouldn’t be) and he would be happy that you were happy and he would have more time to develop his budding feelings for you and he could protect you better from bitter fans as your boyfriend and his fanclub wouldn’t bother you two much and practice would be better and Iwa-chan wouldn’t hurt his insured face and everyone would be happy!!

With those running thoughts in mind, he huffed proudly and smiled down at you.

“I think we delayed this for far too long.”

He chose not to play the light-hearted flirt card, because he now knew you as a person, not just a face. He felt like you deserved more.

He dragged your head up to face him with a thumb under your chin. You were shaking.

“Let’s just cut to the chase. Will you go out with me?”

 

You stared at him like he just delivered the most dreadful of news.

When you were too quiet, his smile diminished and he was left wondering if you were too shocked out of pure happiness or he read all the signs wrong. But he couldn’t be, when there was a lovely shade of pink on your cheeks as his thumb caressed your hand, gently coaxing you to respond.

And just like the first time he met you, you caught him off guard.

You withdrew your hands, stepped back and bowed to him, _just like the first time he met you._

He was about to ask if you were alright, when your next words made him freeze.

“I-I’m sorry! But the truth is… _I’ve been using you!”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> he messed up


	3. wwhat if oikawa's actly an alien wearing his skin aftr he got abducted would he die happy i must know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this. is. it. this is basically the story. the previous two were just the prologue. context. wtv. but tHIS IS IT!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> o man sorry this got out like a month later mid terms happened yeap 
> 
> if ur too lazy to reread the previous one to refresh what happened basically oikawa got dunked on

Oikawa stared dumbly.

“…Ha?” he said, unintelligently.

If he was holding an O.I.K.A.W.ATM manual booklet in his hand he would be flicking through its pages rapidly, trying to pinpoint _where exactly did he goof up._

But his hands were empty and he was left to solve this error on his own.

Your whole body was shivering like someone just dumped a whole bucket of ice on you (which _Oikawa_ was mentally experiencing) and he was transported back into the past where you couldn’t even look at him and he felt like all his _unsaved progress was lost forever._

(Ah, did he finally realize this wasn’t a game?)

“W-wait a second,” the school prince began, pointing his trembling finger at you (rude), “you mean to tell me…

_you don’t have feelings for me??”_

With that outcry, you glanced up to him with furrowed eyebrows and squinted eyes, disbelief and confusion written all over your face because you were pretty sure you just told him that you _manipulated_ him.

Which was apparently, not the primary bad news….

“I…I don’t suppose I have?”

_“I cannot believe this.”_

He faced away from you and grabbed the sides of his head harshly, and you blinked as this was your first time seeing The Grand King _this_ distraught (not counting his violent encounters with Iwaizumi).

Meanwhile, Oikawa inwardly berated himself as he thought that _wow_ , not only did you just indirectly reject him, but to be told that he was being _used_ —

 Wait.

“You said you used me? How? … _Why?_ ” Oikawa lowered his arms as his eyes returned to you. Your panicked face complemented the full-body flinch that followed.

“I…I—um, well…”

You expected him to reel back in surprise and hurt, maybe clutching where his heart was at your revelation. Instead, the male stepped closer and tried to peer at the nervous conflict hiding behind your sweaty palms as you turned away from him. If anything, he was a child attempting to unravel a magician’s trick and wouldn’t back down until he got his answer.

“Shouldn’t you be angry at me?” you peeped, voice muffled. Oikawa hummed.

“Honestly, the curiosity overweighs the non-existent offense,” he stated blankly before an imaginary light bulb flashed on. His eyes casted down and a smirk grew.

“Oh _but_ … since you have deeply wound me by treating me like that… shouldn’t you enlighten me? You have to take responsibility, _you know~”_

You stopped covering your face in favour of staring at him incredulously.

“I thought you weren’t offended.”

Oikawa pouted and pulled up your wrists with his hands. “Just tell me!”

And then you froze.

 _Great_ , he thought, _another reboot._

He observed how you were sweating profusely, spotting a nervous smile as you tried to not make it obvious that you were internally screaming. The longer he stared at you, the more he realized this was _not_ the behaviour of an infatuated.

_Wait, she’s actually…._

“Ah, you should probably let her go now.”

The deep, baritone droning of Hanamaki cut through the tension between you and Oikawa. He didn’t wait for the brunet to respond, instead choosing to chop a hand down to disconnect the physical link. Your face slowly regained colour as you took in deep breaths. Oikawa’s calculating gaze was still trained on you.

_…really uncomfortable._

“Did you finally realize it?” your classmate asked, not paying you any mind as you tugged at his sleeve, but also making sure there was no skin contact.

“Makki, you’ve known all along?” Oikawa still had it in him to sound whiny. Hanamaki glanced at you.

“He’s still not over that you’re not into him,” he said nonchalantly, ignoring the indignant _‘hey!’_. “Should I tell him?”

“…Yeah,” you muttered meekly, but he wasn’t buying it.

“You want to tell him yourself, don’t you?”

“…”

“Geez, can we just get the plot _moving_?” Hanamaki groaned at the sky. Lunch was going to end soon.

_“Can someone just tell me what’s going on??”_

**“I-I—!”**

Both males ceased their unnecessary groaning at the sound of your squeak. Two pairs of eyes rested on you. You seemed like you could collapse any second.

“I, um…” you started with an evident shaky tone, “I actually have this problem… where I can’t touch males—or rather, they can’t touch me…”

Without batting an eyelash, Hanamaki poked your cheek. You flinched away, immediately embarrassed.

“Hanamaki-kun!”

“It’s actually pretty funny, heh.” He poked again.

“Wait…” Oikawa interrupted. “…what?”

You turned to face him properly (while trying to avoid Hanamaki’s relentless prodding without touching him) and shyly explained,

“I grew up in a household where there’s no males, only my mum and sisters. My dad died before I was born, and I went to all-girl schools before attending Aoba Jousai, so um…”

“She freaks at the slightest human contact with the opposite gender.”

“You’re not helping either, Hana-kun. It’s been three years.”

“Hey hey, thanks to me you can now actually talk to boys. Remember first year, chemistry project with Hibiki?”

_“Stop right there.”_

Oikawa observed how you acted around his teammate. He could conclude that the two of you had a pretty okay relationship, probably more than just classmates or barely friends. But you were comfortable enough to attempt in retorting back to his taunts (you were doing pretty bad though, he thought) and Oikawa still didn’t get it.

“So how are you using me?”

You gave Hanamaki one final look. He grinned lazily, promising nothing.

“L-like I said… it’s been three years of me being surrounded by guys. We’re going to graduate and go to college and work and I—I would have to overcome this problem of mine, right? Or else I wouldn’t be able to do things... things other people can—“

“Wow, what _kind_ of things do _you_ want to do with guys—“

“Hanamaki-kun!!” He continued snickering at his own sense of humour.

“So when… that day when you came—Hanamaki _stop_ —and when you started chasing me... I saw… an opportunity?” You looked away from Oikawa.

“I know it sounds bad—and it probably is bad, wait, you know what, it _is_ bad—but I was hoping… through your constant physical affection I would grow accustomed to them and later I wouldn’t jump and blush anymore when a guy touches me and um, um— _I’m still very sorry!!”_

You bowed down to him for the third time. Oikawa certainly didn’t want this to be a regular thing.

“And uh, for making you think I have feelings for you!! I had to maintain our connection so u-um… yeah…” you finished lamely.

Oikawa was sweating, but he tried to play it off smoothly by shifting his weight and combing through his bangs and acting like he totally knew he was being used from the start.

Okay, so he was pretty conceited to read all your signs as another girl who was infatuated with him (again, who wouldn’t??) (( _uh_ , you)) but it was still kind of embarrassing to be pointed out so blatantly in the open of his… miscalculation.

“I-It’s fine…” he said coolly, through gritted teeth.

“You don’t sound fine,” Hanamaki remarked casually.

You were ready to kneel and prostrate but Oikawa quickly assured you he only felt irritated at himself for not noticing earlier in this… event (he realized, this was never his game to begin with, it was _yours_ ) and he totally understood and accepted your reason.

“I mean, I guess it’s convenient for me to just drop in and try to woo you, huh?”

You let out a long, nervous ‘ _yeaaaah_ …’.

“Well then, that settles it!” Oikawa turned on his heel, ignoring the slight pang in his chest, “I guess game’s over right?” Did anything mean to you, this past month, with him?

“I hope I cured you! I mean, it’s _me_ , right?” He put his hands on his hips. He really wished he didn’t feel this stupid attachment to the _you_ who had put on a façade with him for your own benefit. Now, when he put it like that, it really did seem like you’re just one of his fans who wanted him for the _brand_.

At least you were different than the rest of them. “I guess this is goodbye then.”

He walked away.

 

**“Wait, hold on!!”**

For like, two seconds.

 

He glanced back to see you with your arm outstretched to him, face alarmed. Beside you, Hanamaki was… _clapping_.

“That was a dramatic almost exit. A+.” He was ignored.

“Where are you going?” you asked, genuinely confused.

“Wha—it’s over now, isn’t it?”

“I—wait, did you really think this would be all?”

“ _Ha_?” he couldn’t help the biting tone. _Was there something else he missed out because he’s so dumb—_

You shuddered at his agitated demeanour, carefully picking the words out in your mind.

“There’s… something else you should know.”

“Well, we clearly don’t have all day, do we?”

Oh no, he was being really scary, you didn’t think you could make it. But you had to make sure he was relayed of this information. And also, you needed to get rid of someone.

“Hanamaki-kun, may I talk to Oikawa-san alone…?”

“You sure? I can just… you know… stand here,” he said, glancing at the direction of his next class and to his bare wrist where a watch would be present there. “There’s no rush, like… at all…”

“ _Hana_.”

He dropped his wrist along with his act, and stared at you thoughtfully. You were facing him, but your eyes were elsewhere and you were blushing. Again.

“Geez, that’s not even my first name and you’re already a mess.”

“Oh my God, just _go_.”

“I’ll see you in class.” He saluted to both of you and exited from the scene.

 

“You seem really close to Makki. Why didn’t you ask him for help?” Oikawa crossed his arms and pointedly looked away. No, he wasn’t pouting, what. No.

“Eh? I’m sure he’s like that with everyone. I see him messing around during volleyball practices too.”

He tried not to think about the sheer power of Hanamaki and Matsukawa combined.

“Anyway, the thing I want to talk to you about…” Roles were reversed, and his eyes were fixed on you while you faced the ground with twiddling fingers.

He was mentally prepared for another shocking news.

 

“…we um, we want to help you.”

He was not prepared enough.

“…?”

“Uh, I mean, your fan club and I?”

“What…?”

“UH, I MEAN, YOUR EX-GIRLFRIENDS AND I HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING ABOUT UH, YOU—“

“WAIT, WHAT??”

“ _UHH_ —“

(Hanamaki’s faint snickering could be heard.)

Oikawa didn’t know what else to do besides gripping your shoulders, ~~yelling~~ asking you to calm down. You would have exploded if he had never laid a hand on you and fortunately, he had. So you slowly tried to even your breaths and will the redness away, telling yourself _it’s okay it’s fine it’s just Oikawa-san you’re used to this—_

 _I am the cure, I am, I can help her,_ Oikawa assured himself like he’s humanity’s only hope in a zombie apocalypse. With the last puff of air, your shoulders sagged and you weakly told him you’re alright. He hesitantly withdrew.

“So… you were saying?” He shifted his weight again. “When you said fan club… do you mean the same fangirls of mine who have been harassing you?”

“Harassing me…? Oh— _oh no_ , that’s not it at all!!” You waved your hands frantically.

The captain was super confused, but he stayed mute to let you continue.

“Back when we started becoming close, I was approached by Misaki-san from class 3-5—“

He recognized that name. _Ah_ , his ex.

“—and she confessed to me how worried she was over you,” you peered up to watch his startled visage.

In his mind, Oikawa pictured the bespectacled girl smiling up to him with his water bottle in her delicate fingers. She was very nice to him, and he broke up with her because he knew he wouldn’t be able to reciprocate her loyalty. Misaki was one of the very few he had to discard for their own good.

“I…I didn’t really know you well besides you never seem to stay long with a girl, and after learning she was your ex, I thought she came to warn me about you,” you smiled. “But instead, she roped me into this plan of hers with a bunch of others.”

“What plan…?” he couldn’t imagine the kind girl cooking up something diabolical to get him back.

“She said she knew. You know, why you’re dating many girls. It’s not for the sole purpose of dating, right?”

“…”

“Later I met Reira-san. She’s still a little mad at you for making her think you favour her more than volleyball then finding out that’s not true.”

Oikawa laughs nervously along with you. Oh _, Rei-chan_. He remembered the matching pair of key chains he bought for her. It was a phone strap in the shape of a volleyball. She crushed it under her heels and dropped him two days later.

“At first she wasn’t sure of joining in but Misaki-san was _really_ good at persuasion. And before I knew it, she got so many people on our side—there’s Yukicchi, Akane-chan, Natsumi-san, Fumiko-san, Hikari-san—“

_Magenta nails. Lavender perfume. Bunny bento. Rainbow umbrella. Double pigtails._

He thought he had pushed them into the back of his mind. It felt as though someone in him was dusting off an old book and reopened it, when it _should_ have remained closed for eternity.

He wasn’t supposed to remember them this vividly, to be able to pinpoint their individual features that set them apart from each other.

You didn’t notice his astonishment, your eyes were on your fingers as you counted off who you could.

 “—I think that’s most of them. We started small, just talking with the more casual ones before we could get to the… _hard core_ ones—“

“Wait, wait—“Oikawa shook his head. “Just what were you guys up to? Who?”

You beamed at him. “Why, your fan club of course!”

“Huh?” He thought his ex-girlfriends were from the fan club itself….

Oikawa glanced away, scratching his cheek as he pondered about this. You didn’t let his mind wander for too long.

“Oikawa-san,” you called, “volleyball is really important to you right?”

He brought his eyes to meet with yours, wondering why you brought it up so suddenly.

“That’s a given.”

“It’s really admirable, how far you’re willing to go for the sake of volleyball.”

“Wait, what are you impl—“

“Quoting Misaki-san, ‘he must think he’s trying to make everyone’s lives better’.”

His words died in his throat.

“Fans… are meant to support, not overwhelm. They realized that.”

“So all this time when you’re with them…”

“We slowly made them understand limitations and boundaries. Because you were too kind to do that yourself, to the point that you end up taking initiatives by your own to pacify all parties.”

“They knew?”

“Misaki-san and a few others. They traced your pattern and took it upon themselves to fix what they could. They planned to begin when you would choose your next target— _me_ ,” you mumbled at the end, a tad embarrassed.

“They want to make sure you wouldn’t have to resort to this anymore. Some of the girls we talked to were pretty remorseful, not noticing your struggles with them. Some were defensive, but later understood where we’re coming from.”

“But why…” Oikawa muttered, eyes lowered, “…go that far for me?”

Especially his _ex_ -girlfriends?

“Don’t you see? They all have one thing in common,” you smiled brightly.

“ _They really care about you._

They told me you might just view them as just faceless replacements, but they truly treasured their time with you. They want you to be happy, and volleyball makes you happy. It’s something we taught to the fans as well, if they want to show their support for you.”

“That’s not true,” Oikawa almost whispered. “I appreciate them too.”

You seemed genuinely pleased.

“I’m glad.” He pretended his heart didn’t skip a beat.

“But what about you? You had your own agenda, you could have turned them down when they asked for your help.”

“Oikawa-san, I’ve been around girls since I was _born._ Their mannerisms, their feelings, I can read them as clear as day. When Misaki-san came to me… and when I see how earnest the girls were…” you rubbed the back of your head, abashed, “how could I not?”

“It’s the least I could do for you as well… I guess in a way I wanted to help you since you would indirectly help me. And thanks to you,” you met his gaze, “I made a lot of new friends!”

He couldn’t help the slight tilt of his lips to reciprocate your apparent delight.

“—And oh, I’ve been asked to deliver their message to you when the time comes,” you took a step back.

His face softened, in contrast with your determined face. Unbeknownst to you, he thought you’ve been pretty confident talking to him so far. You were definitely in your element when it came to the subject of girls.

You closed your eyes and inhaled deeply.

“’Dear Oikawa Tooru-kun, _or_ -san, _or_ -sama…’”

They didn’t want to do it together as a whole because they would just be crowding him and the last thing they wanted was for their idol to be uncomfortable.

To them, Oikawa would always be their shining beacon of light they desired to uphold above the clouds, and they didn’t know how else to express their adoration besides physically straining their throats hoping he heard their thoughtful prayers for his well-being, showering him with materialistic affection and maybe, just maybe hoping for him to answer their calls with his perfect smile to acknowledge each and every one of them.  

But it seemed their love was overflowing and none could find the tap to turn it off. As a result, they washed him away from them without realizing because Oikawa always tried his best to give a part of him for them to savour.

“…’we’re sorry for all the inconveniences we caused you, and we will take extra care in the future so we can support you properly from the sidelines. Oikawa Tooru…” you smiled.

“…all the best, we love you,” you recited from memory perfectly. When you looked up, you saw Oikawa with a blank visage, all traces of the cool School Prince completely wiped off.

He was blown away.

Because while he regarded his fan club as a group of enamoured girls he never bothered to get to know personally, obviously it wasn’t the same for them. Their message gave him a fresh outlook from their perspective, and _Oikawa Tooru was pretty damn moved by it._

He had an inkling that you knew that as well.

“Your fans… you might not think too much of them like how they think of you, but they are still human beings, with characters and feelings of their own and, well,” you shrugged, “you know that by now, don’t you?”

You mirrored his smile.

“I’ll be sure to say thank you.”

“It’ll mean the world to them.”

The faint shrill of the bell resonated throughout the school, and Oikawa offered his arm to you. You almost didn’t hesitate as you slowly looped your own in his, giving his arm a gentle squeeze. (Your cheeks were… doing okay, you guessed.)

 

“Wow,” he breathed out as you two began your trek back to class, “I feel so light!”

You chuckled. “Me too.”

“I can feel your fingers shaking.”

“ _Shh_. I’ll be okay.”

“So when _were_ you going to tell me? When is ‘when the time comes’?”

“Oh, that’s supposed to be when you unofficially dump me, I guess? Because the girls and I want to guarantee that _I_ would be your final fling. And then _suddenly_ you’re asking me out,” you peered up at him. “What’s that about?”

Before you could assume anything (hopefully nothing about his budding feelings), he quickly covered it with a laugh.

But he laughed louder than he should, and he nervously glanced away from your curious eyes.

“ _Speaking_ of that, don’t you think you should reject me formally then, you know, to let everyone know there would be no more of us?”

“Ah, I should do that, right?”

You two were now standing in the middle of a busy hallway, students rushing to their next classes. Almost every pair of eyes were fixed on you and Oikawa. They all knew of his confession to you (even though it happened like, only 20 minutes ago). The setting was perfect.

You let go of his arm to stand before him, your posture regal. You heard whispers behind your back.

“Oikawa Tooru, I’m honoured of your request, but I must decline.”

 _When I said formal,_ Oikawa thought in the midst of disbelieving gasps around him _, I meant just say no in public, not with such a formal tone…_

But it worked, anyway. News would spread and he would be single (and not chasing) and hopefully retain that title until graduation.

He smiled, tipped his head before turning his back on you, fully intending on leaving the stage gracefully with your rejection.

 

You tugged on the back of his blazer.

“When you said ‘no more of us’… you didn’t really mean it right? We’re friends, after all.”

He grinned (why were his cheeks hurting?), turned back around to throw an arm around your shoulders, resting his forehead against yours.

So in the end Oikawa Tooru didn’t get the girl, but he didn’t feel like he lost anything. Instead…

“We are most definitely are.”

…he was just glad you chose to stick around.

 

The next time he entered the gym, the first thing he did was to look up at the awaiting, anxious eyes of his fans on the floor above. Some were waving with shaky smiles, others were glancing at each other in uncertainty. But in the midst of them, he saw Misaki smiling kindly, Akane crossing her arms and huffing, Fumiko grinning to her ears and Reira pouting (cute, he thought).

He let out a big smile.

“Everyone!” He bowed. “Thank you for your endless support!”

A pause, before—

“ _OIKAWA-SA_ —I mean, Oikawa-sama!!”

“Good luck!!”

“We’ll always be cheering for you, for Seijou’s volleyball team!!”

He didn’t mean to induce tears, but he appreciated them anyway.

 

Oikawa noticed you coming in a little later, between Hanamaki and Matsukawa. The taller of the two jokingly messed with your hair, not noticing the slightly alarmed face of Hanamaki. The captain smiled to himself when you visibly gulped and straightened yourself, laughing along with Mattsun. Hanamaki sighed in relief and one second later nudged your nose between his fingers, prompting you to (nasally) yelp.

To this day his feelings for you was vague. He was on the fence between dismissing it as a fleeting crush or an untapped affection. There was also the question whether what he felt was romantic or platonic. But oh well, it wasn’t like his feelings—whatever they were—were reciprocated by you. (He’s a little sad, _but!! Oh!! Well!!)_

Nevertheless, he liked how things were now. Maybe he never needed a girlfriend to begin with. And maybe he should start treating his fans as individuals. And maybe reconnect back with his ex-girlfriends (they weren’t his enemies, why did he stop talking to them?). And maaaaybe, just, you know, maybe, _perhaps_ , get to know you (more than) a little better. He didn’t need to be your boyfriend to do that.

He nodded to himself. Yeah, that was good. Okay, now back to practice.

_end_

 

**bonus**

Oikawa saw you trying to muffle your laughter with the back of your hand as the two males exchanged banter. He couldn’t exactly hear what they’re talking about, but he swore he heard ‘ _dank’_ from Hanamaki.

His face lost colour, and the volleyball he was about to set dropped and bounced harmlessly on the ground.

“ _Oh no_ ,” he whispered. Iwaizumi (who raced from the other side of court because he totally saw him messing up) barked back an angry ‘ _ha?’_.

“Iwa-chan,” he turned to his best friend with wide eyes, his brown irises enlarging almost impossibly. “They’re trying to recruit her.”

_“Into what?”_

 

_“ S e i j o u ’ s  M e m e  T e a m . ”_

 

**bonus bonus**

 

You were taking a call on your phone when someone pounced on you from behind.

“ _Gyah!_ ”

“Heyyy~ I haven’t seen you for a while!!”

“Tooru-kun, I saw you yesterday and get off, _you’re really heavy!_ ”

“Thanks, I work out a lot~”

“Ah geez, just because I told you the other day I’m 100% physically fine with guys now—“

“And it’s aaall thanks to me!”

“— _you’ve been all over me!!”_

“You wanna check out that panini shop that shady guy Kuroo always hangs out at?”

“You’re not even listening!”

“Come on, I know you don’t have classes anymore for today, hang out with me—“

“She can’t.”

Two voices droned, one coming from your phone’s receiver and the other, in front of you and Oikawa.

“Makki! I knew you would come to steal her away!”

“Unlike you, I make plans beforehand. She already agreed to spend the rest of the day with me and Mattsun.”

“I won’t allow it!! You’re going to drag her into that weird cult of yours!!”

“She will make an invaluable member. Besides, you had your time with her back in high school.”

_“You had three years, Makki.”_

They realized how quiet you became. When they turned their heads, they saw you being hauled away on the shoulder of a certain bed headed male. He let out barks of laughter like a true villain kidnapping the damsel.

“!!!”

_“KUROO YOU BASTARD!”_

 

“Why isn’t there an all-girls university?” you whined.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> reader blushin problem: similar to mamura daiki's case,, totes freaks when girls touch him lol hes from hirunaka no ryuusei if ur into shoujos pls read that i still weep occasioanlly thinking about it
> 
> i tOLd yOu (in the tags) his ex-girlfriends are gonn b involvd
> 
> moral of the story: lets. maybe. stop dehumanizing fangirls no matter how generic they may seem as background characters in anime n manga i mean yeah over the top bt at the end of the day theyre still ppl
> 
> SURPRISE the fic's actually platonic Oikawa/Reader ha hA HA also i considered Hanamaki/Reader in college but i rly couldnt take him away from Mattsun thats. thats how strong they are
> 
> the bonuses are just. cracks. me celebrating the end of this fic by writitng whatever the hell i want lmao
> 
> bt omg u guys thanks for reading ur comments light up my life and u can probs tell by the length of my replies how excited i was lol


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